Sudan, Chad Agree on Combating Extremism, Protecting the Displaced

Head of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council Lt-Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby meet in N'Djamena on Sunday. (SUNA)
Head of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council Lt-Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby meet in N'Djamena on Sunday. (SUNA)
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Sudan, Chad Agree on Combating Extremism, Protecting the Displaced

Head of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council Lt-Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby meet in N'Djamena on Sunday. (SUNA)
Head of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council Lt-Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby meet in N'Djamena on Sunday. (SUNA)

Head of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council Lt-Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan held bilateral talks on Sunday with Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby in the capital of Chad, N'Djamena.

They discussed the updates in Libya and Central Africa.

Burhan was accompanied by acting Foreign Minister Ali al-Sadiq, chief of General Intelligence Ahmed Ibrahim Mufaddal, and head of the Military Intelligence Authority.

Following the one-day visit, a joint statement expressed Sudan and Chad’s concerns about the impact of instability in Libya on neighboring countries.

Burhan and Deby voiced concerns over the ongoing activity of terrorist groups in the Sahel region and their expansion in Africa.

They stressed the significance of enhancing the combat capabilities of the joint Chadian-Sudanese forces to confront the mounting security challenges along their borders.

This would be achieved through establishing direct and continuous ties between the parties concerned with security, defense, and the protection of refugees and displaced.

They further agreed on “exchanging information and intelligence between the security bodies of both countries” and on taking "firm and coordinated measures to contain the illegal migration and weapons smuggling”.

Moreover, Chad and Sudan agreed on holding the cross-border forum on security and development before the end of 2023 in Chadian city of Abeche.

Burhan and Deby agreed on “the activation of the joint force between Sudan, Chad, and Central Africa to combat insecurity on the three countries’ joint borders”.

They also agreed on assisting Libyan parties in reaching peace and coordinating with the relevant parties on the situation in Central Africa.

Burhan congratulated Deby on the success of the Chadian dialogue, which was followed by the formation of a government and transitional institutions.

He reiterated Sudan’s support for political stability and the outcomes of the national dialogue between Chadian parties.

Sudan and Chad signed in 2009 a security and military agreement in which a joint military force was formed along the borders of both countries.

Burhan’s visit to Chad came less than one month after deputy Chairman of Sudan’s Sovereign Council, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo revealed a plot to overthrow the regime in Central Africa that was plotted from Sudan.

He had accused at the time domestic and foreign parties of being behind the plot and announced the full closure of borders between both countries.



US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
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US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)

The United States is deferring the removal of certain Lebanese citizens from the country, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon amid tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

The deferred designation, which lasts 18 months, allows Lebanese citizens to remain in the country with the right to work, according to a memorandum Biden sent to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon have significantly deteriorated due to tensions between Hezbollah and Israel," Biden said in the memo.

"While I remain focused on de-escalating the situation and improving humanitarian conditions, many civilians remain in danger; therefore, I am directing the deferral of removal of certain Lebanese nationals who are present in the United States."

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's military assault in Gaza.

The fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

On the Israeli side, 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.